Wend and Leave No Trace Join Forces!

Eco-sensitive adventure magazine Wend has joined forces once again with the Leave No Trace program are teaming up on a great promotion. Throughout the month of August, $5 of every full priced Wend subscription will go directly to Leave No Trace.

Additionally, Wend and LNT are also running a caption contest on the Wend Blog every Tuesday in August as well. Creative and witty readers will be asked to submit their entry for a great caption for a photo, with the winner being announced on the following Tuesday when the next photo goes up. Weekly winners will receive a cool swag bag full of great outdoor gear, including a pair of Chaco sandals; a pair of Smartwool socks and a base layer from Smartwool; as well a Base Camp Duffel bag from The North Face; and a Planet Explore reusable water bottle and seed card. The first entry is now available on the blog, so click here to submit your caption.

This is a great promotion from two organizations I respect and admire quite a bit. I'm a big fan of Wend's coverage of the outdoor/adventure community and of course who doesn't respect the Leave No Trace gang? If you've been tempted to get a Wend sub in the past, this is the perfect opportunity to do so, while contributing to the LNT organization too.

New Issue of Redesigned Wend Now Available

The latest issue of Wend Magazine is available online with the usual great adventure content from excellent outdoor and travel writers. A few of the stories that are packed into this issue include an article on hiking Africa's Voo Doo Trail, a very personal account of competing in the Patagonia Expedition Adventure Race, and surfing in Haiti.

As is typical with Wend, the magazine is filled from cover to cover with interesting stories and very good writing, but this is a very special issue in that it kicks off a redesign for the mag, which continues its tradition of eco-sensitivity and outdoor activism. This issue also marks the first for Kyle Cassidy taking over as the new editor of Wend and plotting it's course into the future.

Don't forget, you can checkout the magazine online for free by clicking here, and if you're interested in the full print version, you can subscribe here. The digital version of Wend even works great on an iPad, and I enjoy reading it in that format, as the interface is clean, easy to use, and looks very nice too.

And if you're in the Portland, Oregon area, you may want to stop by the launch party for the newly redesigned version of Wend that will be held at Wend HQ this Saturday, June 5th, starting at 7 PM. It is a BYOC (Bring Your Own Cup) event, and while it is free, attendees are encouraged to bring some funds to donate to the Northwest Trail Alliance. Sounds like fun!

Wend Magazine Now On iPad!

Fans of Wend magazine will be delighted to learn that the outdoor adventure mag with an eco-sensitive slant is now available on the iPad. And not just the current issue, but all back issues as well. Digital subscribers need only login to the Wend website to gain access to iPad optimized versions of the magazine that look and perform spectacularly on Apple's latest wonder gadget. iPhone and iPod Touch users haven't been forgotten either, as the online edition of the magazine now works on those devices too, albeit at a slightly smaller screen size. :)

If you aren't already a digital subscriber to Wend, click here to sign up. It's quick, easy, and free. So whether you're reading on a Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, or some other device, you'll get access to a great magazine with lots of interesting content, that you can take with you anywhere. On top of that, no trees were harmed in the making of the digital version of the mag either.

In regards to the iPad, I picked up one of the devices before departing for Nepal, and I have to say it makes an excellent travel companion. It is lightweight (1.5 pounds), but holds all of your movies, music, TV shows, books, apps, games, and more. Great for using on a long plane flight to keep yourself entertained. The best feature of all? The long battery life, in the neighborhood of 12 hours or so with video use. That means you can actually use the thing on a long trip without fear of it becoming useless after a few hours. I'll be posting more thoughts on the device in the future, but needless to say, there are a lot of reasons that it will be a boon for travelers in the years ahead.

Spring 2010 Edition of Wend Magazine Now Available

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Wend Magazine. The publication is always high quality, with great articles and photos, with a great focus on travel, adventure, and environmental responsibility, and the Wend Blog is amongst my daily stops when surfing around the Interwebs.

A few months back, the good folks over at Wend announced that they were making all of their issues available online for free, and the Spring 2010 edition is no exception. To access the free online edition simply click here, launch the latest issue, or any back issue, and login. Returning users can sign in as usual, while new users will need to sign up, but no worries, as the process is quick, simple, and free!

The Spring issue has some great stuff, as usual. The cover story takes a look at Eric Larsen's journey to the South Pole as part of his Save The Pole's Expedition, which is on going right now up North. Other stories include a visit to the North Atlantic Garbage Patch, a photo diary of backpacking the Rockies, and a whole lot more. There really is something for everyone, and with free online access, there's no reason to not check it out.

Have An Adventurous Spirit? Win A Trip to Dominica!

Wend Magazine is teaming up with Adventure Dominica and Ahnu Footwear, to send two lucky travelers to Dominica for a five day adventure vacation that will have you redefining your thoughts on a Caribbean escape.

Well known for offering stunning beaches and plenty of sun, Dominica has plenty of things to see and do for the adventure traveler as well. With rainforests and jungles to explore, reefs to dive, and miles of trails to hike, the island is a perfect place to go exploring. Paddlers are lured in with more than 300 rivers to conquer, and plenty of ocean surf to ride as well. Add in dozens of indigenous birds, and plenty of colorful plants and flowers, and you have the makings of quite the tropical vacation.

To win the vacation, you simply have to submit a photo that best demonstrates your adventurous spirit by sending it to contest@adventuretodominica.com. The photo can be anything you choose, but make sure it really demonstrates how adventurous you really are. The photo that best exhibits this adventurous spirit will earn the winner a trip for two from the U.S. or Canada, to Dominica. The trip will include flights and accommodations at the Calibishie Cove Hotel.

So, there you have it. Start combing through your photos and looking for your best adventure shots. And remember, if you win, and need someone to come along, I'm a very good travel companion! :)

Climber With Broken Leg Hobbles Down Mountain

The Wend Blog has an interesting story, via The Daily Mail, about a climber who broke his leg and managed to crawl is way back down the mountain to safety.

The 44-year old climber, named Sean Moore, was on Mulhacen Peak in the Sierra Nevada of Spain when he fell and broke his leg. He then spent two nights stranded on the 11,423 foot mountain, amidst sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow, and winds. After surviving those conditions, he dragged himself down the mountain, and went directly to the local pub.

Moore went missing on Sunday, and his wife reported that he didn't return. Search and Rescue teams looked for him, but due to the weather conditions they had no luck. The local rescue teams were alerted when he showed up in the bar, and he was soon taken to receive medical attention. There is no word if anyone bought him a round first however.

Great story. Sort of reminiscent of Touching The Void.

Wend Digital is Now Free!

I've written about and linked to Wend Magazine's website and blog many times in the past, extolling the virtues of the writing and editorial content of both the site and the print mag as well. The outdoor adventure and travel magazine does a great job of covering so many of the activities that we love, while also championing the causes of environmental responsibility and sustainability. It's an adventure mag with a conscience, and now you can read it online for free.

Yesterday, Wend announced that their digital verisions, including all back issues, are now available for the low low price of free. That's right, you can now go directly to the website and access all of the issues back to the Summer of 2008.

Click here to access all of those issues, including the most recent one that arrived in my mailbox last week. You'll find all kinds of cool articles and great photos, and it is impossible to not like the price. Thumbs up to Wend for making even more of their content available to adventurers, travelers, and outdoor geeks everywhere.

Wend Magazine Holiday Subscription Special

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a fan of Wend Magazine. Not only does it highlight some of the best outdoor adventures and expeditions taking place around the planet, it does so with an eco-sensitive edge that keeps us all aware of our impact on the planet without going overboard with a political agenda. The magazine is always high quality, with great writing and photos, and every issue has captivating stories that make you think. And for a daily dose of Wend goodness, I always hit the Wend Blog as well, which provide very cool, current, stories that I often link to here.

If you're not currently subscribing to Wend, then you're in luck, as they are currently running an excellent holiday special. Subscribe to the magazine for just $21 for one year, or better yet, get two years for $36, and they'll throw in an Ibex beanie, which retails for $30 by itself, absolutely free. With winter setting in soon, not only will you have great reading material, but you'll have a warm head too! And if you're already a subscriber, the magazine is a perfect gift for the holidays, and you can still keep the beanie for yourself!

The great staff over at Wend have an impressive line-up for 2010, including contributions from Adventure Blog favorites Roz Savage and Eric Larsen, both of whom have big things planned for 2010.

Click here to see the subscription options.